Family Ties
by Aeon65
Summary: You can't choose your family.  Slash. HoratioSpeed
1. Chapter 1

Title: Family Ties

Author: Aeon Cole

Rating: FRT

Warning: Slash

Fandom: CSI Miami

Pairing: Horatio/Speed

Table: #5 Light

Prompt: #10 Life

Disclaimer: I don't own them. I'm just borrowing them for a wile. I will return them when I'm done.

Summary: You can't choose your family.

Arya stepped out of the airport terminal building into the sweltering Miami heat. She briefly wondered how people managed to live down here if it was this hot in the early Spring. What must Summer be like? But she straightened her back, raised her head and made her way to the car rental booth trying her best to ignore the heat and humidity.

Her name meant 'noble one' in her native language and she had always tried to carry herself in a way that would do justice to that name. Though there were times in her life when her ability to do that was sorely tested and thoughts of the years when her son was young sprung to mind immediately. She smiled fondly at the memories as she thought that some children had the ability to suck the nobility out of even the most noble.

As she drove through the city she ran through a list of all of the things she needed to do while she was in Miami and the first on the list was to find her hotel. She was a little nervous about this trip for many reasons. The most prominent being that this was her first trip anywhere in almost forty years without her husband by her side. But, she supposed, she would have to get used to that now.

She and her husband had grown apart over the past fifteen years. Her therapist had told her that this was not an unusual situation for couples who married and started a family at a young age. When the children were grown and out of the house, the couples would discover that they really no longer had anything else in common. So the divorce papers, when they were served, were not much of a surprise.

Finding out that her husband had a girlfriend was a surprise, however. This was the real reason she had decided to leave New York and head south for a while. She had some family here and hoped that they wouldn't mind her just dropping in out of the blue like this.

Arya managed to find her hotel without too much difficulty. Miami wasn't nearly as complicated to get around in as New York. Her mind wandered back to her first days in the Big Apple and how she would often get lost just going to the market in their neighborhood. She figured that after New Delhi and London that she would have been used to big cities. But there was nothing quite like trying to find your way around New York traffic.

She placed her suitcase down on the bed and looked around the room. This would be home for the next couple of weeks, she thought. Better get used to it. She looked over at the phone trying to decide if it was too early to make a call. Looking at the clock she decided against it. Maybe she would just stop by a bit later today.

888

Tim rolled over in bed and looked at the alarm clock. It was still early but since he was awake he decided to get up and make some breakfast for himself and Horatio before work. He slipped out of bed, leaving Horatio and Cloe, their little orange tabby cat, still sleeping soundly. He decided to have a quick shower then head downstairs.

He walked out of the bathroom a short while later with a towel wrapped around his waist to find Horatio lying in bed ogling him. He rolled his eyes.

"You're insatiable," he said. "I'm gonna get dressed and go make breakfast."

He tried to walk past the bed but Horatio grabbed his arm and pulled him down. "Sure you don't want to join me for a shower, seeing as you're already all wet and everything?"

Tim laughed. "If I do that we won't get breakfast," he said as he slipped out of Horatio's grasp.

"I never said I needed breakfast," Horatio shot back.

Tim just shook his head. Horatio could be a handful when he was in a playful mood. He leaned down and gave his lover a quick kiss. "Well I do," he replied. "Save it for later, after work. We'll have more time."

"Promise?" Horatio asked.

Tim chuckled while he dressed. "Promise."

Tim headed for the kitchen followed closely by Cloe while Horatio took a shower. He decided that he had enough time to make pancakes and set to the task after feed the cat. A short while later Horatio strolled into the kitchen dressed for work. He came up behind Tim and wrapped his arms around him placing a kiss on his neck. He rested his chin on Tim's shoulder and watched as he expertly flipped each of the pancakes on the griddle.

"Smells great," he said.

Tim smiled. "Why don't you set the table while I finish this," he suggested.

Despite his earlier remark, Horatio was hungry and never passed up Tim's pancakes. They ate in comfortable silence. While they were cleaning up afterward Tim asked, "Have you had a chance to talk to Yelina yet about the box?"

Horatio shook his head. "She's still getting settled in. There's no hurry, really."

"You're stalling, you know that right," Tim said. "It's been a month. I suspect she's as settled as she's gonna get for the time being." He looked over at Horatio and asked, "I don't know what you expect her to tell you anyway. She didn't know you back then."

Horatio sighed. "I'm not sure either. It's just a vague feeling I have that somehow my brother was involved. I don't actually know how much Raymond told her about our childhood. I'm just not sure it's something I'm ready to discuss with her yet."

888

Arya stared at the telephone in her hotel room. She'd picked it up several times and even started dialing once or twice. But each time she'd changed her mind. She shook her head. 'This is silly,' she thought. Finally she came to a decision. She got up, grabbed her car keys and headed out the door. She couldn't put this off any longer.

888

Horatio and Tim pulled up in front of the Miami-Dade Crime Lab and parked the car. They got out and headed up the front steps. Upon entering the building they were called over to the front desk.

"What is it, Paula?" Horatio asked.

She leaned forward and said , "Detective Speedle has a visitor." She pointed toward the waiting area.

Arya stood in the small hallway looking out of the window. She heard footsteps approaching behind her and turned around. She came face to face with someone she hadn't seen in seventeen years.

Tim stopped dead in his tracks. For a moment he couldn't speak. Finally he opened his mouth and said, "Mom!"

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Family Ties

Author: Aeon Cole

Rating: FRT

Warning: Slash

Fandom: CSI Miami

Pairing: Horatio/Speed

Table: #5 Light

Prompt: #7 Kindness

Disclaimer: I don't own them. I'm just borrowing them for a while. I will return them when I'm done.

Summary: You can't choose your family.

888

Tim stared at his mother. It had been a long time since he'd seen her, though they spoke on the phone three or four times a year, birthdays and holidays mostly.

"I'm sorry to drop in unannounced like this," she said a bit nervously.

"What are you doing here? Is dad with you?" he asked.

"Your father's in New York," she answered trying to keep her emotions in check. She looked him over. "You look well," she said somewhat hesitantly then stepped closer. Tim opened his arms and they embraced. "God, I missed you Timmy," she said finally and he hugged her a little tighter.

Horatio stood back watching the scene play out. He looked back and forth between the two and could immediately see the family resemblance. Tim's mother was in her late fifties and almost as tall as Tim. They had the same eyes and the same hair, though hers was longer. Actually, they had a lot of the same facial features. Tim looked a lot like his mother. Her skin was dark, but not as dark as Alexx's, and she spoke with a slight British accent.

Tim pulled back and took a good look at his mother. She looked much older than the last time he'd seen her. There were flecks of grey in her hair and a few more wrinkles then he'd remembered.

"Are you okay, Mom? Why isn't dad with you?" he asked.

He never remembered his mother taking any kind of trip with out his father. He lead them over to the bench and sat down.

Arya sighed. "Timmy, your father and I are divorcing," she said with a tinge of sadness in her voice.

"What?" Tim asked, surprised. "When? Why?"

Arya chuckled. "You always were so filled with questions." she said with amusement. Tim looked down and blushed slightly. "There are a lot of reasons but I didn't come here to discuss this right now. I really just wanted to let you know that I was in town for a while and maybe see if we could get together when you're not supposed to be working."

Tim smiled and nodded. He looked over and saw Horatio standing there looking a little lost. He held his hand out to his partner. "Horatio, come meet your mother-in-law," he said with a smirk as he stood up.

Arya stood also and looked at the lanky redhead approaching her. She looked over at her son again and asked, "This is Horatio?"

Tim nodded and took Horatio's hand. "Meet my mom."

Horatio held out his hand and said, "Ma'am, it's a pleasure."

He wasn't sure of the sort of reaction he would get. But all of the negative stories Tim had told him had been about his father. His hope was that the feelings weren't shared by his mother. He was a bit nervous none the less.

Arya had never been completely comfortable with the idea of her son being gay but she didn't hold the same prejudices as her husband. If this was who Tim was than so be it. She shook Horatio's hand and smiled.

"It's a pleasure to meet the person who has made my son so happy," she said graciously.

Horatio relaxed a little then his pager went off. He rolled his eyes as he reached into his pocket. He read the screen and said, "I've got to go. Alexx is paging me on the Turner case." He gave Tim a quick kiss on the temple and said, "Invite your mom over for dinner tonight. She can keep me entertained with embarrassing stories from your childhood."

Tim let his head fall forward in mock frustration and muttered something about possibly regretting this. Arya laughed. "I think I like him already," she said as Horatio walked away. She looked at Tim and asked, "Do you still cook?"

Tim nodded, "Yeah. Come over around six tonight. I'll make dinner." He gave her his address and directions before they said good-bye.

888

Horatio walked into the autopsy room to find Alexx waiting for him. "Alexx, what have you got for me?" he asked.

She took one look at him and asked right back, "Hang on a minute. What's going on?" She stood with her hands on her hips.

He shook his head. "I need to start including you in on some of the interrogations," he said. "Tim's mother is here." Alexx raised an eyebrow and Horatio added, "His biological mother."

She pursed her lips. "I knew what you meant, Horatio. What's she doing here?"

"Just visiting," Horatio answered.

He decided against mentioning the divorce for the moment. He was afraid that telling Alexx that would send her into full protective mother mode and with Tim's actual mother there, that could be a problem.

"So what did you page me for?"

888

Eric and Calliegh wandered into the trace lab and found Tim bent over a microscope. "Hey, Tim," Calliegh said as they entered the room.

Tim's head popped up from the scope. "Hey," he returned the greeting. "I got the trace results for that case you guys are working." He reached over an pulled a file from the stack on the counter.

Eric took the file and opened it. "Transmission fluid?"

Tim shrugged. "The mass-spec doesn't lie," he said.

Eric looked over at Calliegh, puzzled. "The victim was found on the beach. How does he get transmission fluid on himself?"

Calliegh suggested, "Body dump, maybe he was a mechanic? We need to do some more digging."

They turned to leave when Calliegh thought to ask, "Hey, Tim. Who was that woman I saw you and Horatio with in the waiting area this morning?"

"My mom," he answered.

"Funny, didn't look like Alexx," Eric replied with a smirk.

"No, my mother," he said. "My real mother. She's visiting from New York."

Then a thought occurred to Eric. "So," he said. "Horatio met his mother-in-law."

Tim snickered. "Yeah. I think he was kind of nervous too."

Eric laughed. "H nervous. I would have paid money to see that."

"Paid money to see what?" Horatio asked as he walked through the door. He smirked as Eric turned a nice shade of red. He handed an envelope over to Tim. "Alexx found this on our victim. She found some of it in him also. We need to know what it is." He turned to Eric and Calliegh. "Don't you two have work to do?"

"Yeah, sure, H," Eric said a little sheepishly as he turned to leave.

Once they were gone Horatio turned to Tim and said, "I wasn't nervous, just for your information." Tim eyed him for a moment then he added, "Okay, maybe just a bit."

"Don't worry, mom can be a little intimidating," Tim said.

"I don't know. She seems nice enough," Horatio said. "How are you doing with all this?"

Tim shrugged. "Okay I guess. But I keep wondering what my dad did to bring about this whole divorce thing."

"You'll have to talk to her about it," Horatio suggested.

"She's in town for two weeks. I guess I'll have time."

Horatio leaned in close to his ear and said, "We can start tonight, Timmy." Then he beat it out of the lab before Tim could swat him.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Family Ties

Author: Aeon Cole

Rating: FRT

Warning: Slash

Fandom: CSI Miami

Pairing: Horatio/Speed

Table: #5 Light

Prompt: #1 Love

Disclaimer: I don't own them. I'm just borrowing them for a while. I will return them when I'm done.

Summary: You can't choose your family.

Author's Note: The next chapter of this story is rated M so is listed separately. The story id is 3871096

Horatio and Tim walked through their front door a little after five that evening. "We'll have to go back to the scene in the morning and see if we can find the source of those fibers Alexx found on the vic," Horatio said.

"Yeah," Tim concurred. "We only searched the area immediately around the body. But what I want to know is how did they get inside the wound?"

"Let's worry about that tomorrow, okay," Horatio said.

Tim walked into the kitchen and put the grocery bag down but before he could start unpacking it he found himself pinned to the counter by Horatio who was pressed up against his back. Horatio's wrapped his arms around Tim's waist and he began kissing his neck.

"Horatio, I swear, if you leave a hickey before my mother gets here," Tim warned. He felt Horatio smile into his neck. "I'm not kidding. You'll be sleeping on the couch."

Horatio chuckled and backed off. "Later," he said.

Arya drove up the street looking for the right house. She slowed the car as the house numbers got close then she spotted Tim's yellow Ducati under the carport. She pulled up in front of the house and parked the car. As she walked up the driveway she glanced at the motorcycle. She never understood her son's obsession with those death machines.

She looked up and saw Horatio watching her from the front porch. "I recognize that look," he said. "I had the same feeling about that thing at first."

Arya smirked. "Ever since he was old enough to know what they were he's been obsessed. It doesn't surprise me that he owns one now, really." She walked up to Horatio. "He begged us for one when he was sixteen. His father was adamantly against it. They argued about it constantly."

Horatio shook his head. "He can be very stubborn." A crack of thunder caught their attention and he said, "Let's get inside before it starts raining."

He showed Arya in. She glanced around and said, "Beautiful house."

"Thanks," Horatio replied. "Tim's in the kitchen."

Arya walked into the kitchen and saw Tim standing at the counter cutting vegetables. She smiled and watched him for a few moments. After not having seen him for so long she was content to simply watch him. Tim became aware that someone else was in the room with him.

He turned to see his mother watching him. He smiled at her and wiped his hands on a towel before approaching her. "Hi," he said and gave her a kiss.

She inhaled and asked, "What are you making? It smells wonderful."

"Salmon," he said. "My own recipe."

Arya smiled. "So much like your father."

Tim wrinkled his brow and asked. "What happened, mom?"

Arya sighed and sat down at the table. Tim sat next to her as she took a moment to gather her thoughts. "People grow apart," she said with a shrug. "We just have nothing in common anymore and it's time to go our separate ways."

Tim shook his head. "It's just hard to picture. You always seemed so happy together when I was a kid."

"People change, they grow. We just grew in different directions."

A sound behind him caught Tim's attention and he hopped up. "Oh, shit," he said quickly as he grabbed a pot off the stove.

Arya chuckled as she watched her son save his sauce. She glanced around the room. "Where's Horatio?"

Tim smirked. "Giving us some alone time, I think." He looked back at his mother. "Could you stir this for a minute? I'll go find him."

He found Horatio in the living room sitting in his recliner with Cloe on his lap. He was absently scratching her back. "Hey," Tim said. "You gonna join us?"

Horatio sat up. "I thought you might want some time to talk," he said as he got up.

Tim wrapped his arms around Horatio's neck and placed a kiss on his lips. "Thanks. But I think my mom's ready to tell embarrassing stories now." Horatio smiled and kissed him again.

Cloe rubbed up against Tim's leg and he reached down and scooped her up. Holding her up to the level of his face he said, "Let's go meet grandma."

Horatio was enjoying listening to Arya's stories as they ate dinner. "He and Jeff could really get into some trouble." She eyed her son and said, "Remember the frogs?"

Tim winced which immediately got Horatio's attention. He eyed Tim. "Frogs?"

"Well," Tim said hesitantly. "Technically they were toads."

"I don't think the nuns really cared about the difference," Arya said.

"Nuns?" Horatio asked now completely intrigued.

Tim sighed and shook his head. "We were ten, I think. There was this sump area out behind my father's restaurant that attracted these small toads. Jeff and I liked to play back there. He got in trouble at Sunday school and was pissed off at the nuns for telling his mother what he'd done. So, we collected a bucket load of toads, snuck into the church and released them in the nunnery."

Arya continued the story. "I got a phone call a few days later after they'd figured out who had done it."

Horatio started laughing. "You were a troublemaker," he said with a chuckle.

Tim shot him a mock glare and said, "It was all Jeff's fault."

The thunder clapped again as Tim loaded the dishwasher. He looked over his shoulder toward his mother. "Mom, why don't you stay here tonight. The weather's getting pretty bad." After seeing the look on her face he added, "It would make me feel better if I knew you weren't out driving in this storm."

Arya glanced over at Horatio who said, "I agree with Tim. We have plenty of room." He stood up and with out waiting for her reply said, "I'll go make up the spare room."

Arya looked over at her son. "Don't I get a say in this?" she asked.

Tim raised an eyebrow. "Do you really want to drive back into the city in the pouring rain?"

"Not really," she sighed. "Besides, after not seeing you for so long it's nice to spend some time together."

Tim finished loading the dishes and sat down next to his mother. "I agree. But we will have to go to work in the morning."

Arya smiled. "I understand. I have some things to do tomorrow."

Horatio came back into the kitchen just as Arya yawned. She placed a hand over her mouth. "It's been a long day," she said. "I flew out of Newark at six this morning."

Tim smiled. "Go get some sleep. We can talk more in the morning."

Arya stood and gave Tim a hug. "Thanks," she said and turned toward Horatio. She hesitated a moment then approached him. She smiled and gave him a quick hug. "See you in the morning."

Tim watched her walk down the hallway then turned to Horatio. "I made you a promise this morning, didn't I?"

Horatio pulled him into his arms for a heated kiss. When they broke he said, "Yes, I believe it had something to do with letting me have my evil way with you tonight."

Tim responded with an, "Mmm," as he pulled Horatio toward the stairs.

TBC


	4. Chapter 5

Title: Family Ties

Author: Aeon Cole

Rating: FRT

Warning: Slash

Fandom: CSI Miami

Pairing: Horatio/Speed

Table: #5 Light

Prompt: #9 Light

Disclaimer: I don't own them. I'm just borrowing them for a while. I will return them when I'm done.

Summary: You can't choose your family.

Author's Note: Chapter 4 of this story is rated M so is listed separately. It is purely fluff and does not advance the plot. The story id is 3871096 should you choose to read it.

Tim's eyes fluttered open in the early morning light. He was lying on his side with Horatio wrapped around him. Slowly he became aware of an aroma wafting up from the lower level of the house. He inhaled deeply and smiled. It was something he hadn't smelled since his childhood and it could only mean one thing, his mother was in the kitchen.

He managed to disentangle himself from Horatio's limbs, not an easy task, and get out of bed. Horatio stirred. "Where are you going?" he muttered, still half asleep.

"I think my mom's up. I'm going downstairs," Tim answered.

Horatio stretched. "Okay, I'm gonna jump in the shower then I'll be down." He smirked. "Sure you don't want to join me?"

"Ya know what? While my mom is sleeping is one thing but…"

Chuckling, Horatio got out of bed. "Fine, I'll see you in a few," he said and headed into the bathroom.

Tim padded downstairs in and old pair of jeans and a t-shirt and found his mother at the stove. He walked over and kissed her cheek.

"Are you making what I think you're making?" he asked.

Arya nodded. "Puri. It was the only thing you had all of the ingredients for."

There were already a bunch of the small cakes laid out on some paper towel on the counter. Tim grabbed a plate out of the cupboard and snagged several of them.

"Where's Horatio?" Arya asked him.

"Shower," Tim answered. Seeing the look on his mother's face he added, "Don't worry. I'll save him some." Then he downed one of the cakes.

He placed the plate on the kitchen table and made his way to the coffee maker, which his mother had turned on this morning, and poured himself a cup of coffee. Arya noticed that he was walking with a slight limp and decided to ask him about it.

"Are you okay, Timmy? You're limping."

Tim froze for a moment then averted his eyes from his mother's gaze and blushed slightly. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little stiff. It's nothing," he answered without returning eye contact.

His mother looked at him carefully and noticed the edge of what looked like a bruise at the base of his neck peeking out from his shirt collar. She turned back to the stove with a slight smirk on her face realizing the probable reason for his stiffness. Tim sat down at the table and sipped at his coffee hoping that his answer would be enough for his mother and not spawn any more questions.

"Does it hurt?" Arya asked without turning around.

Caught by surprise Tim almost choked on his coffee. When he stopped coughing he said, "Mom!" Arya turned to look at him. Tim had turned a nice shade of red. "No, now can we talk about something else, please!?"

"What's wrong," she asked. "I'm just curious, that's all."

Horatio walked in just at that moment. He looked back and forth between mother and son. Arya had an amused look on her face. He could tell because it was the same look that Tim got when something amused him. And Tim was a nice shade of crimson.

"Did I miss something?" he asked as he walked over to the coffee machine.

Tim was certain at that moment that his mother had no shame what so ever because she turned to Horatio and said, "My son was limping this morning. I just asked him if it hurts when you have sex."

She said it so matter-of-factly that Horatio felt compelled to answer her. "There's a slight burn, but it doesn't last more than a few seconds."

This was too much for Tim and he stood up. "Okay this is just too weird for me." As he stormed out of the kitchen he said, "I'm gonna go take a shower and get ready for work. You two just have nice chat, okay?"

Horatio leaned back against the counter with a smirk sipping his coffee. He glanced sideways at Arya. "It really doesn't take a lot to embarrass him."

"I didn't mean to embarrass him," she said. "I mean, he is an adult after all. I would think that things like that wouldn't bother him anymore."

Horatio smiled at her. "Don't worry about it. He'll get over it. And I don't think you're ever a complete adult around your parents."

She eyed him carefully for a moment, considering his words. "How about you, Horatio? Did you ever talk to your parents about it?"

Horatio shook his head and stared into his coffee cup. "My parents died a long time ago. I never really got the chance." Not that he would have even if he'd had the chance, he thought.

Arya placed a hand on his arm. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…" She wasn't really sure what to say.

Horatio put his hand over hers. "It's okay." Wanting to change the subject he asked, "What are you making? It smells wonderful."

She patted his arm then turned back to the stove. "Puri. It's a fried sweet bread. I used to make it all the time when Timothy was little. It was is favorite." She gestured toward the counter where the cakes were drying.

Horatio took one and took a bite. "Wow," he said through a mouthful. "This is good."

Arya smiled at him. "They're better with a little butter."

Tim walked back into the kitchen a short while later to find Horatio and Arya sitting at the table eating and chatting. He glanced at them then grabbed his travel mug from the cupboard. He filled it and turned to Horatio.

"We should get going. We still have a crime scene to reinvestigate," he said.

Horatio sighed. "I suppose you're right." He stood up and placed his coffee cup in the sink. He turned back to Arya. "Thanks for breakfast," he said with a smile.

Tim looked at his mother and took something out of his pocket. "Here's a key to the house, mom. Stay as long as you want."

Arya took the key and pulled her chair away from the table. When she did Tim noticed that Cloe was curled up in her lap. He shook his head.

"I just want to clean up then I'm going to head back to the hotel," she said.

Tim gave her a quick kiss. "I'll call you later."

"Be careful," she called to them as they headed out the door.

888

It was several hours later before they were able to return to their crime scene. They were accompanied by Frank Tripp and one uniformed officer. They approached the house and examined the front entrance. The crime scene tape was still over the front door.

Horatio stopped at the front porch. He looked over at Tim and asked, "Inside or out?"

"I'll take the inside," Tim replied. He signaled to the uniformed officer to follow him in.

"Okay, Frank. Looks like it's you and me," Horatio said. He looked up at the Texan and said, "I'm gonna head around back."

As Horatio and Frank head toward the back yard, Tim and the officer headed inside the house. Tim paused at the front entrance and scanned the living room. This was the room where they had found their gunshot victim and had been the primary focus of the first investigation. There was still a large bloodstain on the floor and fingerprint powder dusted around the area.

Tim gazed past the living room toward a staircase at the far end of the house. Their task this time around was to learn as much as they could about the victim since the scene itself hadn't given them enough information about the man's death. He headed for the stairs.

As he walked through the upstairs hallway he glanced into each room. At the end of the hall he came across one room that caught his interest. It looked like it had been used for storage. He walked into the room to begin looking through the vast amount of junk that had been left there when he heard a creaking noise under his feet.

Before he was able to react, the floor beneath him gave way and he found himself falling toward the lower level of the house. He landed with a thud on his left side in the kitchen. His head hit the floor with a crack and pain shot through his shoulder and arm. His last conscious thought before the lights dimmed and he passed out from the pain was that his mother was going to be so pissed that he'd hurt himself again.

TBC


	5. Chapter 6

Title: Family Ties Part 6

Author: Aeon Cole

Rating: FRT

Warning: Slash

Fandom: CSI Miami

Pairing: Horatio/Speed

Disclaimer: I don't own them. I'm just borrowing them for a while. I will return them when I'm done.

Summary: You can't choose your family.

Author's Note: Okay, I'm not so evil that I would leave you guys hanging for long. I just felt like a little cliffhanger.

Horatio walked around to the back of the house scanning the ground as he went. He wasn't really sure what he was looking for but hoped he would know it when he found it. He approached the back entrance to the house, the door that lead to the kitchen. He began examining the door frame for any signs of forced entry.

Suddenly he heard a loud cracking noise coming from the second floor then a crash. He instinctively pulled out his gun and flattened himself against the wall. Then he heard the uniformed officer who had accompanied Tim into the house call his name. He sounded panicked.

Horatio ran around to the front of the house, his heart pounding. He had a really bad feeling. He ran into the kitchen and stopped dead in his tracks, momentarily frozen. Tim was lying on the floor surrounded by a pile of rubble. It only took a moment for his training to kick in and he rushed to Tim's side. Horatio reached a hand out and felt for a pulse. He was relieved to find Tim had a strong one.

He knelt down next to his lover and rolled him onto his back. "Tim," he said trying to keep his voice calm. "Tim, can you hear me?"

Frank told the officer to call for the paramedics then knelt down next to Horatio and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Horatio brushed his hand over Tim's face. He looked him over quickly and noticed that his left arm wasn't lying right. His shoulder had been dislocated and he had a nasty bump on his head.

A sound caught his attention and he noticed Tim beginning to stir. He groaned and his eyes fluttered open. "What happened?" he muttered. He winced as he tried to move then cried out as pain shot through his left arm.

Horatio placed a hand on his chest. "Lie still. You've had a bad fall. I think your shoulder's dislocated." Tim looked up at him and Horatio sighed in relief. "Just try to relax. You're gonna be okay. The paramedics are on their way now."

888

Horatio paced the hospital's hallway waiting for the doctor to appear. It had been half an hour since they'd arrived at the hospital and he was getting impatient. He'd already called the lab and informed Calliegh and Eric what had happened. Alexx was in the middle of an autopsy but Eric agreed to tell her when she finished. He knew he would need to call Arya but he wanted to talk to the doctor first.

The doctor walked up to him about twenty minutes later. "Lieutenant Caine?"

Horatio spun around to face the man. "Yes," he answered somewhat anxiously.

The doctor looked at the chart in his hand before speaking. "According to the forms, you are listed as Detective Speedle's next of kin."

"Yes, he's my… I mean we're…" Horatio realized his brain wasn't working properly.

The doctor held up his hand. "It's okay. I understand. It looks like he's going to be fine," the doctor said.

Horatio let out a breath he'd been holding for more than an hour and collapsed into the chair behind him. "Thank God," he sighed. The adrenaline that had been keeping him going was wearing down and he suddenly felt exhausted. He looked up at the doctor and asked, "When can I see him?"

The doctor sat in the chair next to him. "He's under a mild sedation right now. He should be coming out of it within the hour. His shoulder was dislocated and he has a hairline fracture of his ulna. We've set his arm and he'll need to keep it in a sling to allow the shoulder joint to heal. We did an MRI of his head and determined that there is no cranial bleeding but he's going to have one heck of a headache when he wakes up."

Horatio nodded. "When can I take him home?"

"Well, we want to keep him overnight for observation. My best guess, you should be able to take him home tomorrow afternoon as long as there are no complications." He patted Horatio's arm. "We'll get him up to a room soon. Then you can see him."

The doctor stood and Horatio followed suit. "Thank you, doctor," he said as he shook the other man's hand.

Horatio sat back down and pulled his cell phone out of his jacket pocket. He needed to call Arya.

888

Arya had showered and changed her clothes when she'd returned to the hotel. She'd spent a couple of hours at Tim's after he and Horatio and left for work. She'd only arrived back at the hotel a short while ago and now she was getting ready to go out for a bit and explore Miami.

She grabbed her car keys and was about to leave her hotel room when her cell phone rang. She looked at the caller id and didn't recognize the number but it was a Miami area code so she answered it anyway. She immediately recognized the voice at the other end as Horatio's but he sounded stressed.

"There's been an accident," he said as calmly as he could. "Tim's okay but he's in the hospital."

Arya sighed and shook her head. Nothing's really changed, she thought. "What hospital and how do I get there?"

Well, she's not panicked, Horatio thought. "Mercy Hospital," he answered then he gave her directions and a brief rundown of what happened. "They should have him in a room within the hour."

Arya closed her cell phone and shook her head. "Thirty-seven years old and he's still getting himself into trouble."

TBC

Note: The next part will contain the meeting of the moms. smirks


	6. Chapter 7

Title: Family Ties Part 7

Author: Aeon Cole

Rating: FRT

Warning: Slash

Fandom: CSI Miami

Pairing: Horatio/Speed

Word Count: 1330

Disclaimer: I don't own them. I'm just borrowing them for a while. I will return them when I'm done.

Summary: You can't choose your family.

Horatio sat at the side of Tim's bed holding his hand. He hadn't woken up yet. He'd come out of the sedative but the pain killers that he was given had knocked him out again before he got to the room. He appeared to be sleeping peacefully. Arya sat at the other side of the bed watching Horatio. She could tell he was upset and freaked out by what had happened. They had been sitting there in a comfortable silence ever since Tim had been brought up to the room.

Arya finally broke the silence. "This is the first time you've had to deal with him getting hurt, isn't it?" Horatio raised an eyebrow and nodded. "I lost count a long time ago," she said.

Horatio gave her a half smile. "So you're used to this. That's why you were so calm when I called you."

"When Timmy was younger, he seemed to have this big sign across his chest that read, 'hurt me'," she said. "He and Jeff would pull these stunts that usually resulted in one of them getting injured."

Horatio thought back to a few months ago and said, "They told me the story about the hammock."

Arya rolled her eyes. "That wasn't even the worst of it," she said. "Did he tell you that when he was five he ran out into the street and got hit by a car?"

This took Horatio completely by surprise. "Excuse me? He got hit by a car?"

Arya nodded. "Two broken legs and a concussion. Luckily no permanent damage. I doubt he remembers it very clearly. That should have been a clue to us as to what we were in store for."

Horatio felt Tim's hand move in his and he redirected his attention to the bed. Tim's eyes were still closed but Horatio heard him mutter, "Hey, stop talking about me while I'm sleeping."

He opened his eyes and Horatio smiled at him. He leaned over the bed and said softly, "Welcome back to the world of the living." He brushed a hand gently over Tim's hair being careful to avoid the bump on his head. "How are you feeling?"

Tim replied, still groggy, "Like someone dropped a safe on me."

Horatio chuckled. "You fell fifteen feet and landed on a tile floor. You're lucky you didn't break your neck."

Tim tried to smile. "Well if there's one thing I know, it's how to fall." He tried to move and for the first time became aware that his left arm was immobilized. "What the…"

"Lie still," Horatio said. "Your shoulder was dislocated and you have a fractured ulna."

Tim groaned. "Shit," he swore. He looked over at Horatio and said, "Help me sit up a bit."

Horatio used the bed controller to raise Tim's head some. "Better?"

Tim nodded then glanced over at his mother a bit sheepishly. "Sorry," he muttered.

Arya leaned over the side of the bed and kissed his forehead. "I swear Timmy, you're going to be the death of me. I'm just glad you're okay," Arya said as she stroked his face. "But I suppose I can add this one to the list."

Tim narrowed his eyes at her. "You've been keeping a list?"

Arya smirked. "Let's see. You rolled off your changing table when you were six months old. When you were three you managed to climb up to the top of a bookcase in your father's study, and fell off. You got hit by a car when you were five. At seven you decided to play superman and jumped off the roof of the shed."

Tim held up his good arm. "Okay, I believe you. You've been keeping a list."

"You had no fear when you were a child," she added. "I suspect nothing much has changed."

Horatio looked at Tim then over to Arya. "You weren't kidding, were you?" Then he looked back at Tim and said, "I think we need to have a talk."

About a half hour later Tim heard a noise at the door to the room and turned to find Alexx standing there. He winced just slightly at the look on her face. Horatio turned around and gave her a weak smile.

"Alexx," he said. "Come on in."

She walked over to the bed and brushed a hand over Tim's face.

Tim gave Alexx a sheepish look. "Sorry Alexx."

She looked him in the eyes and said, "I swear Timmy, you're going to be the death of me. But I'm just glad you're okay, baby."

Tim had a sudden feeling of déjà vu and looked over at his mother. He could tell that she was trying not to laugh. He had told her about Alexx and she had looked forward to meeting the woman who had been looking after her son. She stood up and approached the other woman.

Holding out a hand, she introduced herself. "I'm Arya Speedle. Tim's mother." The two women shook hands.

"It's a pleasure," Alexx said. "Too bad it had to be under these circumstances that we meet." She gave Tim a sideways glance.

"Yes," Arya agreed. "But knowing my son, probably the most likely."

"Mom!" Tim protested.

Arya shot him a mock glare, followed quickly by Alexx. Arya asked, "You want me to continue with the list?" Tim pouted.

Alexx looked back at Arya with curiosity. "The list?" she asked.

"I was telling Horatio about all of the times my son landed himself in the hospital when he was younger," she answered. Then she added as she turned her gaze to Tim, "Or the emergency room. Or the doctor's office. Or the nurse's office at school."

Alexx placed her hands on her hips. "Oh really," she drawled.

Tim decided that the best thing for him to do was to close his eyes and go back to sleep for a bit. Just then Horatio's cell phone rang and he stepped out of the room to answer it. He stepped back in a few moments later.

"The house has been cleared by the structural engineer," he said. He glanced over at his partner and added, "Apparently, Tim just happened to walk into the one room with a problem."

Arya smirked. "Like I said."

"Look," Horatio said. "I need to get back to the lab. I have to get a team together to back to the house."

Alexx looked at her watch. "And I need to get home and feed my kids." She stepped over to the bed and looked down at Tim. "Now, you do what the nurses say, you hear me?"

"Yes, ma'am," Tim replied quietly.

"I'll walk with you for a minute," Arya said wanting to give Tim and Horatio a moment of privacy.

Horatio glanced out the door after the two women walked out then he turned back to Tim. "How bad is it?" Tim asked.

"I think they're exchanging phone numbers," Horatio answered.

Tim sighed. "I think I'm in trouble."

Horatio looked him in the eye. "You really scared me today," he said suddenly very serious.

Tim looked away for a moment then back at Horatio. "Sorry," he said. He realized he'd been saying that a lot lately.

"I know and it wasn't your fault. Just bad luck," Horatio said. "I suppose I'll get used to this too." He leaned down and gave Tim a kiss. "I do need to get going."

Tim nodded. "Just promise you'll come and spring me tomorrow."

"Promise," Horatio said with a smile. "By the way. If you don't mind, I'd like to ask your mother to come stay at the house while she's here. I think we'll need some help for a little while and it will give the two of you a chance to spend some time together. If she's willing, that is."

Again Tim nodded. After all he was in no condition to argue. Horatio leaned in for another kiss, this time he lingered a bit longer, before he left.

TBC


	7. Chapter 8

Title: Family Ties Part 8

Author: Aeon Cole

Rating: FRT

Warning: Slash

Fandom: CSI Miami

Pairing: Horatio/Speed

Word Count: 1570

Disclaimer: I don't own them. I'm just borrowing them for a while. I will return them when I'm done.

Summary: You can't choose your family.

Author's Note: When I started writing this series a year ago I made a conscious decision to not do episode related stories. I wanted to write original pieces that fell in between the episodes. I've made occasional references to specific episodes here and there to keep everyone on track with the timeline, right now near the end of season one. However there are certain episodes I can't ignore. Pivotal episodes for Tim. _Dispo Day_ is one of those. Since I wrote a piece a while back explaining that, since Tim has been living with Horatio, yes he does clean his gun, _Dispo Day_ in my universe could not play out like it did in the show. This chapter is my answer to that episode.

Horatio dragged himself up the steps of his front porch. It had been an extremely long and trying day and even though it wasn't all that late, he was exhausted. He walked into the house and shook his head. Arya had been more than happy to agree to stay with them while she was in Miami and now she was already making herself at home in the kitchen. He could smell her cooking.

Cloe came trotting up to him and rubbed against his leg. She looked up at him and meowed. He crouched down and scratched her behind the ears. She meowed again and stared at the door. Horatio knew that she was looking for Tim.

"Sorry Cloe," he said quietly. "Daddy won't be home 'till tomorrow."

She obviously didn't understand because she meowed again then sat by the door. Horatio shrugged and headed for the kitchen. He found Arya at the stove.

"Hi," she greeted. "Did you stop by the hospital?"

Horatio nodded. "Tim was sleeping. I didn't want to disturb him," he said. "I sat with him for a while but he didn't wake up." Arya nodded. "You know," he added gesturing at the stove. "You didn't have to do this. I could have called out for something."

"You need to eat proper food," she said in that 'don't argue with your mother' tone. Then she smiled and said, "Besides, I don't mind at all."

Horatio gave her a half-hearted smile but it didn't reach his eyes. Arya could tell that something was bothering him, more that just Tim being injured. She debated with herself for a moment as to whether to call him on it or not. After all, in reality, they had only just met and she wasn't sure how willing he would be to talk to her. But somehow she felt close to him already even though they'd known each other less than forty-eight hours. She decided to take a chance.

Horatio dropped down into one of the chairs at the kitchen table and stared off at nothing in particular. Arya took a seat next to him.

"Horatio," she said cautiously. "What's wrong?" He shook his head and shrugged. "It might help to talk about it. After all, I have plenty of experience."

Horatio smirked. "I believe you do," he said.

He didn't know why but he felt comfortable around Tim's mother. Maybe it was because she reminded him of Tim. Whatever the reason, he seemed to have no problems talking to her.

"We have this operation coming up in a couple of weeks," he said. "Tim was supposed to take part. I didn't want him to and I don't know what he thought he was proving by volunteering for it."

"An operation?" Arya asked. "What do you mean?"

"The crime lab collects evidence to be used in court. All sorts of evidence. Once a case is tried and all appeals are exhausted, after a certain amount of time has passed, we destroy the evidence. We keep all of our records, of course, just in case. But the actual evidence is disposed of.

Normally it's not a big deal but this time around we have a large amount of illegal drugs that need to be brought to the incinerator and burned. This type of disposal operation is highly classified and can be dangerous. It requires all sorts of preparation and planning. There's a police officer that rides with the van carrying the drugs and a convoy of guards."

Horatio sighed and continued. "Tim volunteered to ride shotgun in the van. He's been training for weeks to be ready. I know he was really looking forward to it. He didn't mention it this afternoon and I don't think it's occurred to him yet that he's not going to be able to participate. I'm going to have to tell him tomorrow."

Arya placed a hand on his arm. "Well, I know my son and I'm sure he'll be disappointed. But he can't think he'd be able to do something like this with his arm in a cast."

"I know," Horatio said. "But we argued about this a month ago when he told me. I didn't want him to do it. It's too dangerous and there's no need for him to put himself in that position. I thought he was being unreasonable and he thought I was being overprotective. In the end I gave in."

Arya gave him a sympathetic look, understanding his dilemma. "So now you have to tell him he can't do it." He nodded. "Horatio, you're doing the right thing. Don't feel guilty about it."

"Thanks," he said. "The funny thing is, I don't feel guilty about having to tell him. I feel guilty about feeling relieved that he won't be a part of this."

"Like I said, I know my son. He may be upset at first but I'm sure he's not going to blame you for feeling the way you do," she said in a reassuring tone. "You love him and just want what's best for him."

Horatio felt a little better for having talked to her. "Thanks," he said. "I hope you're right."

"I know I am. Now let's have dinner. You need to eat."

Horatio smiled at her and said, "Yes, ma'am."

888

Horatio finished dressing for work and glanced over at the bed. Cloe was curled up on Tim's pillow. She wasn't asleep but he knew better than to try to shoo her off. It was the one thing in the house that smelled like Tim and he knew that it comforted her.

He went down to the kitchen and grabbed a cup of coffee. Arya was still sleeping and he wasn't about to disturb her either. He had offered to help with the dishes and clean up after dinner the night before but she had simply shooed him out of the kitchen and told him to go get some rest.

When he finished his coffee he wrote out a quick note telling her that he was going to stop by the hospital before going to the lab and left his cell phone number for her. He rinsed out his coffee cup then headed out the door.

When he got to Tim's room he encountered a rather aggravated looking nurse leaving the room. He approached her and asked, "Is there a problem?"

The nurse recognized the tall redhead from the day before. She said, "Does he eat?"

Horatio wrinkled his brow. "Um, yes. All the time."

"Well," the nurse said, clearly at the end of her rope. "He refused dinner last night and now he's refusing to eat breakfast."

Horatio sighed and shook his head. "Don't worry about it, ma'am. I'll deal with him." He figured that if Tim was going to cause trouble, it was going to be over the food.

He entered the room cautiously, not quite certain of his partner's mood. Tim looked over at the door expecting it to be the nurse again. He saw Horatio and his expression softened.

"I hope you're here to take me home," he said hopefully.

Horatio leaned over the bed and gave him a kiss. "Not 'till the doctor releases you." He looked Tim right in the eyes and added, "Which he's not going to do until you eat something."

The look of horror on Tim's face at that prospect was almost amusing. "You can't be serious," he said.

Horatio moved the breakfast tray closer to Tim. "Dead serious. Now eat." Tim pouted but did as he was told.

888

Arya was in the kitchen getting dinner ready. She was enjoying have other people to cook for again. The doctor had discharged Tim and Horatio had gone to pick him up from the hospital. She heard the front door open and the sound of raised voices.

"Horatio, it's my left arm. I'm right-handed. I can still work," Tim said in protest.

"No, you can't," Horatio replied with as much authority and he could muster under the circumstances. "Tim, this is not open for arguments. You are on disability leave until the doctor says otherwise and when you come back it's going to be limited duty. Lab only, end of discussion."

"But…"

"No buts. I've already assigned someone else to the dispo run," Horatio said with finality.

Tim glared at him momentarily then stormed off to the living room and flopped down on the sofa. Horatio walked over to the doorway, wanting to settle things between them but Tim picked up the TV remote and flipped on the set, sending a clear message that he wanted to be left alone.

Horatio turned and walked into the kitchen. "Is everything all right?" Arya asked him. "I thought I heard you two arguing."

Horatio sighed. "He's upset," he said simply. Then he turned to leave. "I'm going to get some fresh air."

He hated having to do this. But it wasn't the first time since they'd been together that he'd had to be boss first and lover second. They'd both gone into this relationship with their eyes open. They both knew that these sort of situations would come up and they would have to deal with them.

They also had a rule which was that they never went to bed angry with each other. As Horatio headed outside he knew that eventually Tim would calm down and realize he was doing the right thing.

TBC


	8. Chapter 9

Title: Family Ties Part 9

Author: Aeon Cole

Rating: FRT

Warning: Slash

Fandom: CSI Miami

Pairing: Horatio/Speed

Word Count: 1280

Disclaimer: I don't own them. I'm just borrowing them for a while. I will return them when I'm done.

Summary: You can't choose your family.

Author's Note: One more note about _Dispo Day_. I was thinking about what happened to Tim in the episode and I realized that his being shot in the vest was because his first instinct was to pull Hollis from the van when he was shot. So then I thought what if the new guy didn't have that same instinct and instead maybe tried to reach for his gun or do something else first. This would have put him in the same line of fire as Hollis. What would Horatio's reaction have been if the guard had been shot and killed in the van?

888

Arya watched as Horatio walked out of the kitchen toward the front door. His shoulders were slumped and he looked miserable. She shook her head wondering just what was wrong with her son to make the man he supposedly loved feel this way. She decided that regardless of how long it had been since they'd had any sort of relationship, she was still his mother and she was going to have a little talk with him.

She found him sitting on the sofa in the living room staring blankly at the television with his cat curled up on his lap. She stepped just inside the door and remained there as she spoke her peace.

"You know," she said in an calm, even tone. "I may not know a lot about what you do or who you are now, but I do know one thing. I did not raise an insensitive idiot." Tim didn't outwardly react to her presence. He remained staring straight ahead. Arya continued, knowing that he could hear her. "I know you're upset and disappointed, but there's no need to take it out on Horatio. He's just doing what he needs to do for the safety of everyone involved. And he feels very guilty about it."

Having said what she'd come to say she turned and headed back to the kitchen leaving Tim alone with his thoughts. Sometimes he hated the way his mother could make him feel like a total ass with just a few words. He let his head fall forward. He was an ass. He knew that he couldn't go back to work yet. He couldn't even tie his own shoes or button his pants. Horatio had had to do both of those things for him at the hospital. He just hated feeling helpless.

With a heavy sigh he got himself up off the sofa and shuffled over to the front door. He glanced outside and saw Horatio leaning on the railing of the front porch staring out into the yard. That little voice in his head that was calling him an ass was getting louder.

Horatio heard the front door open. He knew it was Tim without looking. He didn't move. Tim approached slowly and gently placed a hand on Horatio's back before sitting up against the railing next to him. Horatio turned his head toward Tim and Tim leaned in close and rested his forehead against Horatio's. They stayed that way for several moments drawing strength from each other.

"I'm not mad at you," Tim said finally. "I just," he hesitated, "I just feel helpless right now."

Horatio stood up straight and pulled Tim in close to him, being careful not to put any pressure on his left arm. Tim laid his head on Horatio's shoulder. Horatio brushed his hand over Tim's back.

"I know," he said. "And I wish I could say I was sorry things worked out this way, but I'm not." He felt Tim nod his acceptance. "The only important thing to me right now is that you will be out of harm's way."

Tim sighed. In the end, Horatio usually got his way, whether it was his own doing or not. He'd resigned himself to sitting out the next few weeks at home with his mother. Arya watched from the front window as the two made their piece and she smiled. She knew that her son would do the right thing despite how he felt.

888

After dinner Horatio had managed to shoo both Tim and Arya out of the kitchen insisting that he would clean up. They sat on the sofa together chatting. Tim noticed that Cloe was being very clingy and she was curled up in his lap again. She was fascinated by his cast and every so often her head would pop up and she would sniff it again.

"So," Arya said somewhat hesitantly. "I was thinking." Tim glanced over at her. "I was thinking of postponing my flight for a while. I'd like to stay a bit longer, if the two of you don't mind."

"Are you sure you want to?" Tim asked. "I don't want you to think you have to."

"Honestly Timmy, there's nothing for me in New York anymore," she said with a tinge of sadness. "Your father and I have been living separately for the past three months. I'm retired. And I think I need a change."

Tim smiled at her. "Mom, you're welcome to stay here as long as you want. If you want to stay permanently, we'll help you find a place of your own."

888

Epilogue – Two Weeks Later

Horatio had managed to get through the day by keeping his mind so busy with the investigation that he didn't have time to think about anything else. But now that he was alone in his car the events of the day came crashing back at him. He finally had to pull his car over to the side of the road because his hands were shaking so badly that he could barely hold onto the wheel. He leaned his head against the steering wheel but when he closed his eyes all he saw was Tim's face in place of the guard's slumped over inside the dispo van.

888

Tim stood in the kitchen helping his mother prepare dinner. His arm was out of the sling and he had more range of movement now, but he still had to deal with the cast.

"So you're sure you want to do this?" he asked.

Arya nodded. "Positive. Miami's growing on me. Besides, I've started making friends here." She smirked at him. She and Alexx had hit it off right away. "I'm going to start looking…" She trailed off when she saw Horatio standing in the doorway. She couldn't put words to what she saw in his eyes, they looked haunted.

Tim turned to face him. "Horatio?"

Horatio walked straight up to him, never taking his eyes off Tim's. He took his face in both hands and pulled him in for a heated kiss right in front of Arya. Tim melted into Horatio's touch but he could feel something desperate in his lover's actions. He broke the kiss and rested his forehead against Horatio's.

"Horatio," he said, still a little breathless. "What's wrong?"

It was a moment before Horatio could find his voice. When he did he said, "We were ambushed."

"What?!" Tim pushed him back so he could look him in the eyes. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"Fake funeral precession," Horatio said. "They jumped out of the hearse with automatic weapons." He fixed his eyes on Tim and said, "Hollis was killed." Then much more quietly he added, "So was the guard that was with him."

Arya's hand flew to her mouth and she approached her son. "My God Timmy." She placed her hand on his shoulder. "That could have been you."

Tim's whole body seemed to go numb as the realization of what could have been sunk in. Horatio took his face in his hands again. "Tim, please," he begged. "You have to promise me something. Please don't ever put yourself in a position like that again. Please!"

Horatio's voice was so desperate and raw that he agreed without thought. He wouldn't volunteer for anymore dangerous assignments. But he felt that he needed to add, "Our jobs are dangerous, Horatio. There are never any guarantees."

Horatio pulled Tim into his arms. "I know. But at least we can minimize our risks." Tim nodded his agreement. "Besides, we had a deal about growing old together."

Tim smiled at the thought of a little old Horatio. "No more unnecessary risks. I promise."

Fin


End file.
